Chapter 13: Ice vs. Warp: The Evaluation
Night fell, but the training grounds were as bright as day.
The news had spread through the entire boot camp like a wildfire. Countless cadets swarmed the sidelines, and even many of the instructors stopped what they were doing to watch.
"Did you hear? Roy is challenging Mr. Kuzan!"
"Is he insane?! That's one of the 'Three Monster Logia Vice Admirals'!"
"Shh! Instructor Zephyr is here, so it must be an official drill!"
In the center of the field, Roy and Kuzan stood facing each other.
A light breeze blew, thick with fighting spirit.
Kuzan stood lazily, hands in his pockets, a small smile on his face. "Rules?"
Roy's eyes were locked on him, his muscles tensed. "I want you to go all out, sir!"
A flash of interest crossed Kuzan's eyes. "Ara rara... Alright, brat."
Zephyr, standing on the sideline, crossed his arms. His voice was deep and powerful. "Begin!"
"FWOOSH—!"
Roy's figure instantly vanished.
"So fast! Is that his warp?!" the cadets yelled.
Kuzan's eyes narrowed slightly, his Observation Haki flaring as a pale blue aura of frost began to radiate from his body.
"BAM!"
Roy's fist, crackling with power, slammed through the air, grazing past Kuzan's cheek. The punch displaced the air with a sound like a thunderclap.
Kuzan's lazy expression stiffened for a millisecond as he tilted his head, the wind from the punch ruffling his hair.
"Not bad, brat~"
Before he finished speaking, the ground instantly froze.
"Ice Age!"
"KRA-KA-KA-KOWM!"
The entire training field froze solid, and countless massive ice spikes shot up from the ground, sealing Roy's position like a cage of swords!
The crowd gasped.
Roy's eyes hardened. He began to warp, a series of flashes like lightning in the night.
"FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!"
Afterimages flickered across the ice, each one followed by the sound of an explosion as he shattered the spikes.
"Warp: Tempest Flash!"
"BOOM!!"
A sharp, compressed blade of air shot from Roy's kick, flying straight at Kuzan!
Kuzan's expression became serious. He raised his right hand, frost swirling wildly—
"Ice Shield!"
"BAM!"
The 'Tempest Flash' smashed into the shield, exploding in a shower of ice. The shield cracked under the force, but it held.
"Not bad, brat." Kuzan's smile was playful. "But... not enough to break my defense."
"Then I'll just keep coming!"
Roy stomped his foot and vanished again.
"FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!"
His afterimages were so fast and dense he was nearly impossible to track, each one appearing with a Haki-blackened fist aimed at Kuzan's vitals!
"BAM! BAM! BAM!"
The punches fell like a thunderstorm!
But the cold aura around Kuzan seemed to form an absolute domain. His Observation Haki predicted every move, and an 'Ice Shield' would appear to block every single strike!
"Ara rara... Your moves are a little too predictable~"
Roy stopped, his eyes hardening. He took a deep breath—
"Life Return: Giant's Breath!"
"BOOM!!"
His muscles instantly swelled, his body exploding in size to over sixteen feet tall. Pitch-black Armament Haki coated his entire body like armor. He stood in the center of the field like a dark god of war.
"Holy hell, he's even bigger than when he fought me?!" Smoker's eyes were wide.
A proud smile finally appeared on Zephyr's face. "He's finally getting serious."
Kuzan's gaze also sharpened. "Ooh? Now this is a little tricky~"
He sank into his stance, clapping his hands together. "Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"
A giant pheasant made of pure ice screeched and shot toward Roy, trailing a deadly aura of frost!
Roy raised his giant fist, which crackled with energy, and met the attack head-on!
"Warp: Heavy Cannon!"
"BOOM—!!!!"
The ice pheasant and the Haki-fist collided, erupting in an explosion of unimaginable force. A blizzard-like shockwave tore across the entire training field!
The cadets in the crowd were blown off their feet, and the instructors on the sidelines sucked in a cold breath. "Is... is that really a 12-year-old kid?!"
When the ice fog cleared, Roy was kneeling on one knee, a thin layer of frost covering his body. His arm was still locked in its punching motion, his gaze terrifyingly firm.
Kuzan stood opposite him, his chest rising and falling. The ice on his own arm had a spiderweb of cracks in it. He clearly hadn't escaped unharmed.
He raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Ara rara... Well, I guess I lose this one."
The entire crowd went silent, then exploded in an uproar!
Roy frowned, his voice low. "You were going easy on me."
Kuzan scratched the back of his head, grinning. "Nope~ If we kept going, I'd have had to use my advanced Haki. And that wouldn't be a 'spar,' brat. That'd be an execution."
Zephyr strode onto the field, his eyes filled with immense pride. "You did well, Roy!"
Roy slowly stood, shrinking back to his normal size, but he shook his head, panting. "But... I'm still a long way off."
Kuzan stretched lazily. "Don't say that~ You're 12. I'm almost 30."
Smoker walked over, a complex expression on his face. "You guys are just monsters..."
Kuzan suddenly reached out and ruffled Smoker's hair. "You gotta keep up, 'Smokey.'"
"Get off me!" Smoker roared, slapping his hand away.
Zephyr laughed. "Alright! That's enough for today! Roy, tomorrow we start a new training regimen!"
Roy nodded, his eyes shining. "Sir!"
Kuzan gave Roy a casual pat on the shoulder and turned to leave. "Ara rara... Get some rest. If I ever get really serious, it won't be this easy."
Ten minutes later, on two lounge chairs at the edge of Marineford.
Garp was leaning back, his mouth full of crackers. "Mmph... so I heard you fwought my s'tudent?"
Kuzan was slouched in the other chair, his eye mask pushed up, sipping a cold drink. "Ara rara... News travels fast."
Garp swallowed and laughed. "Of course! My student sparring with an Admiral candidate! The whole base is talking about it!"
Kuzan tilted his head, a small smile on his face. "He's no ordinary brat. His potential is huge."
Garp's eyes narrowed. "Oh? That's high praise from you."
Kuzan's gaze drifted, his fingers tapping his glass. "His fruit development is nearly flawless, and his combat instincts are good. The trickiest part is—"
He paused, his voice turning uncharacteristically serious. "If he doesn't want to fight, you can't catch him."
Garp blinked, then burst out laughing. "Bwahahaha! That's right! If that brat really decided to run, not even Borsalino could catch him!"
Kuzan shook his head. "And I could feel... he was holding back, too."
Garp, mid-crunch, raised an eyebrow. "Oh? He has more tricks?"
Kuzan sighed. "If I didn't use my advanced Armament and Observation, I'm not sure I could've taken him down quickly."
"Of course! My special training isn't just for show!"
Kuzan glanced at him. "Did you teach him 'Fist Bone'?"
Garp waved his hand. "It's too early! The kid's still learning the fundamentals. We'll wait until his Haki is stronger."
Kuzan chuckled. "I'm sure Instructor Zephyr feels the same way."
Garp was quiet for a moment, then leaned in close. "Hey, Kuzan. What's your real take? How strong do you think he'll get?"
Kuzan looked out at the horizon. "Ara rara... Who knows?"
He smiled. "But... I get the feeling that if he fully matures, no one in this world will be able to truly defeat him."
Garp stared, then threw his head back and laughed, shaking his entire chair. "That's what it means to be my student!"
Kuzan just sighed. "You're as confident as ever, sir."
Not far away, behind a large tree, Sakazuki (Akainu) stood with his arms crossed, having watched the whole conversation.
His expression was grim, but his eyes held a strange flicker of interest. "A 'Warp' fruit... Armament... Life Return... He's a good recruit."
He frowned, clenching his fist. "But... it's still not enough."
Meanwhile, on the roof of the boot camp barracks.
Roy was lying on his back, the last rays of the sun catching in his hair. He was idly flipping a coin, making it vanish and reappear between his fingers.
He could still hear Kuzan's lazy voice. "If I ever get really serious, it won't be this easy."
Roy muttered to himself, his eyes sharp. "He held back... If he'd used his advanced Haki, I wouldn't have lasted three moves."
The coin suddenly stopped, vanishing from his hand as if it never existed.
"I'm still a long way off..."